---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You will think me very pedantic…"
description: "\"You will think me very pedantic, gentlemen, but holiday though it may be, I have not the smallest interest in any holiday, except as it celebrates real..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_celebrate_you-will-think-me-very-pedantic-gentleme_643904.png"
---

#  You will think me very pedantic, gentlemen, but holiday…

![“You will think me very pedantic, gentlemen, but holiday though it may be, I have not the smallest interest in any holiday, except as it celebrates real and not pretended joys.” quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_celebrate_you-will-think-me-very-pedantic-gentleme_643904.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_celebrate_you-will-think-me-very-pedantic-gentleme_643904.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_celebrate_you-will-think-me-very-pedantic-gentleme_643904.png)

> “You will think me very pedantic, gentlemen, but holiday though it may be, I have not the smallest interest in any holiday, except as it celebrates real and not pretended joys.”

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He values genuine joy over superficial celebrations, rejecting empty holidays.

**In simple terms:** True joy matters, not fake festivities.

Key Takeaway

Seek authentic experiences.

Themes

authenticity joy critique of tradition individualism values

Mood

thoughtful reflective

Type

philosophical critical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- holiday planning
- social gatherings
- celebrations
- seeking meaning

Key Concepts

philosophy existentialism cultural critique

Questions to Reflect On

- What defines a real joy for you?
- How do you balance authenticity with social expectations?

A Different Perspective

May overlook communal bonding benefits of holidays.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Gentleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentleman/) [Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holiday/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [No power of genius has ever yet had the smallest success in explaining existence. The perfect enigma remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-power-of-genius-has-ever-yet-had-the-smallest-success-in/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Here is the world, sound as a nut, perfect, not the smallest piece of chaos left, never a stitch nor an end, not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/here-is-the-world-sound-as-a-nut-perfect-not-the-smallest-piece-of/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Slothful, feeble, pretentious, pedantic, elitist - these are some of the epithets that eventually become associated with the absent minded scholar, the poor sighted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/slothful-feeble-pretentious-pedantic-elitist-these-are-some-of-the/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [“pedagogue n. FORMAL or HUMOROUS a teacher, especially a strict or pedantic one. late Middle English: via Latin from Greek paidagōgos, denoting a slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-stevenson/pedagogue-n-formal-or-humorous-a-teacher-especially-a-strict-or/)

[Angus Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-stevenson/)

> [Nothing is as peevish and pedantic as men's judgments of one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/nothing-is-as-peevish-and-pedantic-as-men-s-judgments-of-one-another/)

[Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/)

> [I think topical songwriting is a real gift, and it's hard not to be pedantic and show up with the sledgehammer message.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-chapin-carpenter/i-think-topical-songwriting-is-a-real-gift-and-it-s-hard-not-to-be/)

[Mary Chapin Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-chapin-carpenter/)

> [I was a pedantic child. I'd get really annoyed at the logic of small things that don't bother anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-baynham/i-was-a-pedantic-child-i-d-get-really-annoyed-at-the-logic-of-small/)

[Peter Baynham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-baynham/)

> [People formerly seemed unable to evaluate a woman's c.v. or to accept a range of personal and communicative styles from the exuberant and confident…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/people-formerly-seemed-unable-to-evaluate-a-woman-s-c-v-or-to-accept/)

[Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/)

> [I believe that science fiction is as profound as you want it to be or it can be very simple entertainment, and I'm all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-flanigan/i-believe-that-science-fiction-is-as-profound-as-you-want-it-to-be-or/)

[Joe Flanigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-flanigan/)

> [There are surely worse things than being wrong, and being dull and pedantic are surely among them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kac/there-are-surely-worse-things-than-being-wrong-and-being-dull-and/)

[Mark Kac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kac/)

> [“To write a genuine familiar or truly English style, is to write as any one would speak in common conversation who had a thorough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/to-write-a-genuine-familiar-or-truly-english-style-is-to-write-as-any/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [I am aware of the technical distinction between ‘less’ and ‘fewer’, and between ‘uninterested’ and ‘disinterested’ and ‘infer’ and ‘imply’, but none of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-am-aware-of-the-technical-distinction-between-less-and-fewer-and/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [Conversation! Supple sentences, with first and second meanings and overtones beyond, outrageous challenges with cleverly planned slip-points, rebuttals of elegant brevity; deceptions and guiles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/conversation-supple-sentences-with-first-and-second-meanings-and/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

> [I'm absolutely pedantic about language; it must go back to my schools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-brown/i-m-absolutely-pedantic-about-language-it-must-go-back-to-my-schools/)

[June Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-brown/)

> [Some people are under the impression that all that is required to make a good fisherman is the ability to tell lies easily and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/some-people-are-under-the-impression-that-all-that-is-required-to/)

[Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/)

## More by Ralph Waldo Emerson

> [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“There is then creative reading as well as creative writing. When the mind is braced by labor and invention, the page of whatever book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-then-creative-reading-as-well-as-creative-writing-when-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The order of things consents to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-order-of-things-consents-to-virtue/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Life only avails, not the having lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/life-only-avails-not-the-having-lived/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-child-reminds-us-that-playtime-is-an-essential-part-of-our-daily/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [No man can be criticised but by a greater than he. Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [I am; therefore, I had nothing better to do than to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-am-therefore-i-had-nothing-better-to-do-than-to-think/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

[Explore all 4,802 Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

## More Celebrate quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [Spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. Joy is of the essence of life;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnivesh/spiritually-life-is-a-festival-a-celebration-joy-is-of-the-essence-of/)

[Agnivesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnivesh/)

> [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/)

[J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/)

> [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/)

[Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/)

> [Trying to find this industry's tendency to celebrate the physical is a waste of time. So I'm happy to play the game. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/trying-to-find-this-industry-s-tendency-to-celebrate-the-physical-is/)

[Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/)

> [On Valentine's Day, couples in Calgary can celebrate their love for each other with couples' nude yoga - great way to get in shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sagal/on-valentine-s-day-couples-in-calgary-can-celebrate-their-love-for/)

[Peter Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sagal/)

> [A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/a-society-that-presumes-a-norm-of-violence-and-celebrates-aggression/)

[Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/)

> [No matter what day we celebrate Australia Day, let's celebrate it together and give thanks to the original inhabitants of this vast country. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/no-matter-what-day-we-celebrate-australia-day-let-s-celebrate-it/)

[Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/)

> [I'm not so much in the future as always in the present. The future always takes care of itself. What I do now with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/i-m-not-so-much-in-the-future-as-always-in-the-present-the-future/)

[Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/)

> [Birth, life, death is a cycle. And they're all beautiful, you celebrate all of them. Animals do grieve, but they move on. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-millan/birth-life-death-is-a-cycle-and-they-re-all-beautiful-you-celebrate/)

[Cesar Millan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-millan/)

> [I just wanted to jump into the stands and start celebrating with those wonderful fans. (on reaching the Champions League final)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-gerrard/i-just-wanted-to-jump-into-the-stands-and-start-celebrating-with/)

[Steven Gerrard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-gerrard/)

> [What I have found is, so much of that is like a Chinese finger trap: the more you play to the dark, the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-palmer/what-i-have-found-is-so-much-of-that-is-like-a-chinese-finger-trap/)

[Amanda Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-palmer/)

> [Undeniably, character does count for our citizens, out communities, and our Nation, and this week we celebrate the importance of character in our individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/undeniably-character-does-count-for-our-citizens-out-communities-and/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [While we celebrate our diversity, what surprises me time and time again as I travel around the constituency is that we are far more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/while-we-celebrate-our-diversity-what-surprises-me-time-and-time/)

[Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/)

> [I feel like the downfall of any person is the second an artist starts celebrating their work themselves, that becomes problematic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/i-feel-like-the-downfall-of-any-person-is-the-second-an-artist-starts/)

[Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/)

Browse all 2,313 Celebrate quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You will think me very pedantic, gentlemen, but holiday though it may be, I have not the smallest interest in any holiday, except as it celebrates real and not pretended joys.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ralph Waldo Emerson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/you-will-think-me-very-pedantic-gentlemen-but-holiday-though-it-may/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Celebrate"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/you-will-think-me-very-pedantic-gentlemen-but-holiday-though-it-may/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_celebrate_you-will-think-me-very-pedantic-gentleme_643904.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_celebrate_you-will-think-me-very-pedantic-gentleme_643904.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_celebrate_you-will-think-me-very-pedantic-gentleme_643904.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You will think me very pedantic, gentlemen, but holiday though it may be, I have not the smallest interest…” — Ralph Waldo Emerson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ralph Waldo Emerson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You will think me very pedantic,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/you-will-think-me-very-pedantic-gentlemen-but-holiday-though-it-may/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/you-will-think-me-very-pedantic-gentlemen-but-holiday-though-it-may/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
